The Memory of Love by Linda Olsson

Marion Flint has fled her past, finding solace for over a dozen years in a beach house on the New Zealand coast. But when her life becomes intertwined with that of Ika, an all-but-mute local boy from a troubled home, the past comes rushing back to her, with memories of pain and loss and love.

Scenes from Marion’s childhood memories feel real but evanescent, as though watched through gauze, and as she revisits those memories, Marion reclaims who she was and steps into who she has become. I know that sounds vague, but I can’t tell you much more without giving away the plot, which I don’t want to do. I will say, however, that with the exception of an unlikely coincidence, I found The Memory of Love touching and compelling.